


an investigation into the whereabouts of one wayward feline

by carrionkid



Series: Requests 2020 [2]
Category: X-Factor (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Detectives, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23635582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carrionkid/pseuds/carrionkid
Summary: request: Y'know how we never see much of ric and stars friendship anymore? Ric and star doing some platonic bonding (whilst still being km a relationship ofc) while on a stakeout for xfi. With a focus on their friendship and understanding of each other. Probably a lot of old timey detective jokes bonus points if donuts are involvedfor my friend aloe! sorry i didn't get the donuts worked in! i hope you like it!-He should have known he was trouble as soon as that tall, dark, and handsome glass of water stepped into his office. But he cannot do anything about it now. He has already fallen, and fallen hard, like a lucky star, burning up in the atmosphere, all because of those damn beautiful, brown eyes. The first love of his life, and maybe even his last.“Star, what are you doing?” Julio sighs, “You know what Jamie’s like! You, in his office? In hischair?With your boots on his desk? There’s no way that ends well!”“Julio, you are interrupting my attempt to set the scene.”“Whatscene?” His brows furrow, voice tilting up on the end of the statement, establishing it as a question.
Relationships: Julio Richter/Shatterstar
Series: Requests 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687084
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	an investigation into the whereabouts of one wayward feline

He should have known he was trouble as soon as that tall, dark, and handsome glass of water stepped into his office. But he cannot do anything about it now. He has already fallen, and fallen hard, like a lucky star, burning up in the atmosphere, all because of those damn beautiful, brown eyes. The first love of his life, and maybe even his last.

“Star, what are you doing?” Julio sighs, “You know what Jamie’s like! You, in his office? In his  _ chair?  _ With your boots on his desk? There’s no way  _ that _ ends well!”

“Julio, you are interrupting my attempt to set the scene.”

“ _ What  _ scene?” His brows furrow, voice tilting up on the end of the statement, establishing it as a question.

“Jamie Madrox has asked us to attend a stakeout together. I am merely preparing for the setting. I play the part of the seasoned detective and you are my cunning, stunning, and dangerous  _ homme fatale _ .”

He frowns as he watches Julio pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers; it is a look conveying exasperation, or perhaps frustration, or perhaps annoyance. He does not like it when he is the cause for that look, but it is becoming more and more frequent these days.

Shatterstar supposes that it has something to do with the changes Julio has experienced during his own absence. They were far closer years ago, when they were working under Cable’s X-Force team. He is not the only one that has changed; Shatterstar is a stranger to himself now that he is back in control of the body.

He has never liked change. He does not like it now.

But, he loves Julio and that outweighs his discomfort.

He also supposes that this discomfort and tension is why Jamie is sending him on more and more cases with Julio  _ alone. _ The team has commented on their situation, telling them to ‘ _ get a room’ _ and ‘ _ just go ahead and fuck already’. _

(Little do they know, this has already occurred and did not offer any kind of solution to the fact that they are no longer who they once were.)

Interacting one on one should aid in the reparation of their relationship. After all, they were not immediately involved. Julio, per his own admission, almost hated him upon their first meeting. They managed to surpass that and they can manage to surpass this now.

“Fine,” Julio’s face softens and he looks closer to the younger version of himself, from the time when the two of them knew each other so completely, “We’ll play your game. What’s the case?”

“We have been tasked with finding a missing feline.”

“A  _ cat?!”  _ Julio laughs and Shatterstar realizes he has missed the sound terribly, “We’re looking for a  _ lost cat?!” _

“It is a very, to quote Theresea,  _ skittish _ “cat”. The rest of our companions believe that we are equipped to retrieve it.”

“Alright, alright, I guess we can be cat catchers for a day,” Julio rolls his eyes.

He has a limited number of clues currently available to him, but he lays them out to Julio nonetheless:

One: the feline of interest was last seen in the alleyway three blocks from their office.

Two: the feline of interest is not particularly friendly.

Three: the feline of interest does not know how to survive in an environment such as this.

Julio purses his lips as though he is thinking and then says, “We can start there. Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot and get to go home and take the night off.”

If Shatterstar is understanding all the phrasing and wordplay utilized by his coworkers correctly, ‘ _ nights off’ _ seem to be a common occurrence with Julio. He  _ understands _ , perhaps more than anyone else. Julio has lost a part of himself. He supposes it feels the same as when he lost his swords; the replacements are foreign and unwieldy and feel like lifeless flesh.

“Yes,” he speaks carefully, “Maybe we shall.”

* * *

Shatterstar holds Julio’s hand while they walk. For all the changes he is attempting to accommodate, he is glad that they engage in this activity. Julio has always been the only one allowed to touch him, but he rarely felt comfortable in doing so where others could see them. 

They were the same then. They were both aware when they were being watched, moving as though they were on a stage. Now, neither of them move as if they are under constant surveillance. 

He stops, “We have arrived.”

“Here?” Julio groans, “Really?”

“It was the seedy side of town, and I knew it as soon as I walked in,” Shatterstar starts to lead Julio into the alleyway, “But my sources told me that it’s where kittens end up if they get dazzled by ne'er do well tomcats and Princess was just the type to be caught in their net.”

“The cat’s name is  _ Princess?!”  _ Julio snorts.

“Yes,” he frowns at the fact that he must break character, “It is a suitable name for a feline of status.”

“And we’re just supposed to wait around until she comes to us?”

“Correct.”

* * *

The alleyway is unclean and has few places suitable for a stakeout, but Shatterstar does not mind. It reminds him of their time on X-Force, memories equal parts enjoyable and uncomfortable.

“I think Madrox must  _ hate us, _ ” Julio complains, but it is playful, “Otherwise he never would’ve sent us out to spend the day in a damp, disgusting alley.”

“In a city like this, you have to take all the cases you can get to make it big as a detective.”

Shatterstar scans the area for any sign of movement, a task he is better suited for than his partner. So far, they have only encountered rats and a handful of cats that do not match the description of Princess.

Julio elbows him in the side, “Since when are  _ you  _ into  _ noir? _ I thought that was Jamie’s schtick.”

“Is that what it is called here?” Shatterstar frowns; he knows of many concepts but he can rarely pair an earthly name to them, “I will have to change. It is necessary to have a mixture of gimmicks and archetypes on any team in order for it to be successful.”

“Yeah? Then what am I?”

He pauses and worries at his lip, thinking as he continues his search, “Misunderstood loner with a heart of gold.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m a  _ loner, _ ” Julio laughs but Shatterstar has known him long enough to recognize it as the laugh that is associated with discomfort.

“You are. We both are. You do not wish to be a loner but you always seem to end up as one. That is why we are together.”

He means it as a comfort, but it must not accomplish that goal because Julio’s face falls.

“No, no,  _ Star, _ that’s  _ not _ why we’re together, why I love--look, oh are you kidding me _ , _ hold on,  _ look!” _

Shatterstar is not used to allowing himself to become distracted. He frowns and turns back to the area they are surveying just in time to see their target looking out from behind a crate full of glass bottles. He starts to crawl forwards, moving out from where they are hiding.

“ _ Star,”  _ Julio whispers and it is sharp enough that he knows it conveys a level of anger, “You'll scare it off!"

"Julio, you have to trust me," he speaks with his voice low and then continues moving without pause.

He understands fear. He understands uncertainty. He understands what it is to be alone in a world that is not understood. He  _ is  _ equipped for this case.

Shatterstar stops less than a yard from the feline and sits with his legs crossed. He did not think he had  _ flaws _ before coming to earth, but evidently impatience is one of them. Since then, he has done his best to conquer it.

Now is the test of his training. He sits without moving and breathes slowly and evenly. He watches Princess from his periphery, licking herself clean, and he waits.

Julio mutters something about all of this being pointless, and "busywork", and "a wild goose chase", but Shatterstar cannot afford him as much attention as usual. Perhaps, after they have captured this lost feline, he can explain to Julio that this was the best method possible. It should be evident, however, because Princess finally approaches him.

She pauses to inspect his knee; Shatterstar holds out his hand, intending for her to do the same once again. The feline hesitates briefly but ultimately decides he is not a threat. She touches her nose to his hand, then licks at his fingers.

When he attempts to run his hand over her back, she allows him to. He is certain she will not run at this point, so he looks at her directly at last and blinks his eyes slowly.

She still remains by his side. Shatterstar lifts her up carefully, causing her to make the most entertaining sound. He echoes it back at her and even though she scratches him, the wounds heal merely seconds afterwards.

“Holy shit Star,” Julio laughs, “What did you  _ do?” _

“I waited.”

He gets to his feet carefully, with the feline tucked to his stomach with one hand. Once standing, he resumes stroking her head and back. Julio joins him at his side soon after, scratching behind Princess’ ears and making soft noises at her.

“Since when are you good with animals? I remember back when you didn’t even know what a  _ dog _ looked like!”

Shatterstar frowns, “And I maintain that those are  _ not  _ what dogs look like. They are bigger and meaner and made of metal.”

Julio pauses his activities with the feline in order to stroke a hand over Shatterstar’s cheek, tracing from skin up into hair, now short. Perhaps too short, but Shatterstar has rarely had any say in thoughts of that nature.

“I guess some things never change,” he smiles, pulling Shatterstar in until their foreheads are touching.


End file.
